Coconut Grove apotheosis

the ocean was truly something to behold. on that day, anti was stretched out in the sun. the coconut trees overhead cast down shade periodically, depending on how the wind swept them. the volgra did not care whether the shade touched him or not. he preferred the heat to most things, and beside the water was a place where he could bask without care.
 
with a casual flick of his ear, anti turned toward the western portion of the beach in search of the figure of anu. his gaze was like a lazy fog being swept across the land. his whiskers twitched curiously before he turned away and settled on peering toward the ocean. it was peaceful there, he realized. the guardian wondered how long they would remain before anu was carried away to teach others.

anu's hunt had not gone to plan. thus far the wolves he had met seemed unreceptive, and there was that barrier of a common tongue. his grip on the native language was rustic at best; after a few frustrated exchanges with locals, anu had decided to take a break in favor of a meal.

he returned with nothing. the fauna of this part of the world was as foreign to him as the ocean, and he had yet to learn a skilled way to hunt them. coming alongside the reclining form of his companion, anu offered only a quiet chuff before he slumped besides anti, the shade dappling his hide.

the presence of anu was welcome; this was something that would never change for the volgra. there was something to be said for the way that the slender hawk was able to speak to others despite a language barrier and cultural differences. anti was pleased that he was able to protect such a knowledgeable figure. their trekking had done well to show them what it meant to coexist beside each other. anti was a silent figure, but he had come to love the sweet lilting tongue that anu possessed.
 
turning his head toward the other male, anti’s dark lips curled upward into a soft smile. his thin tail wavered behind him, knocking against the sand and then holding still. he wondered what anu was thinking of the new land. he wondered what sort of stories would come from such a journey.

as anu slipped onto his stomach, anti issued a soft smile that the chela caught from the corner of his eyes. he returned the gesture with his own brief affectionate grin — the only break in his oft stern composure. only anti was privileged to such displays of emotion or affection, as brief and often eclipsed by sorose mien as they were.  

anu did not mind the silence that stretched between them. he was accustomed to anti’s muteness, had even come to love him for it; they had their own silent language, their own little glances and looks that conveyed more than any word could. 

he fell against the sand with a loud exhale, enjoying the warmth interspersed by the sun’s dappling rays. after some time to regain his energy, anu rose to his stilt-like legs to resume his search for a meal.

anu was a good man. there were few who could compare to him, but this was known by most who had come in contact with the chela. he had a way about him that was alluring to those who did not understand their culture, and limitless to those who did. it was truly fortunate that anti had been the one to guard him on his journey. the sun was shining down on them, and it had given them a sign to know that they were doing well. at least, for the volgra, it was a sign. he traveled alongside a man who would accomplish such great things and that was what mattered in their life. if only his own destiny could have been impacted by that of another, anu would surely have shed some peace on him.
 
when anu rose, so did anti. he trailed behind the other man while anu searched for his meal. anti was not concerned with hunting in that moment, but he was dutiful in his attempts to keep his companion safe. the warmth of the sun against his back was comforting. he enjoyed the feel of it there and wondered if anu would seek to settle for a time in a place that was as beautiful and stunning as where they stood. as if to ponder this idea, anti turned back to gaze at the sea and sky. it was truly remarkable.

anu paused from his rifling to glance back at anti; presently, the male's attention was turned to the sky and the sea. anu lifted his head and scented the briny air, glancing towards the point of the horizon where it seemed to softly fold into the sea. there was a world there he had never seen, and would never discover.

slipping into the vernacular, anu spoke. "you like the water," he noted dryly, wringing his paw in a helpless gesture as he searched for the word for that endless expanse of water. their tongue did not have a word for ocean, and he grappled for a word that came close to describing just how unimaginably big the ocean appeared.

anu seemed to move as though he had definitive purpose in his steps. anti trailed behind him without any reason other than to keep his companion in his line of sight. still, the volgra found it difficult to pull his attentions away from the water – water that seemed to stretch on until it melted into the sky. the distance was overwhelming to the guardian. he could not imagine reaching the end of it, even with all of the strength in the world. there was something comforting about that; never reaching the end.
 
anu’s voice caused his ears to swivel toward the other male. anti drew his thin head upward and latched his gaze on his companion. there was a soft smile that curled his dark lips upward. anti nodded his head softly. yes, he liked the sea very much. he was enchanted with it. as though he was uncertain of the answer, anti tilted his head to the side and peered directly at anu with curiosity swimming in the silver of his gaze. don’t you? his features seemed to ask of his friend.

anu fell silent after his playful accusation, his starfire gaze lingering on his companion. life would not be this easy for long, he knew: this oasis they discovered, it was not a place they could stay.. not unless he and anti learned how to pull draughts of palatable water from its brackish depths, and learn of the endless meal thoroughfares within its tides.

his companion's soft smile touched the male, who responded with a warm smile in turn. there were few wolves to break anu and his stern composure, but anti was one of them -- be it the miles that they shared, or the kinship, anu did not know.

don't you? anti's eyes seemed to suggest. anu reared his head, his long ears pointed towards the sea. "yes, but it stings the tongue." anu moved towards the roiling shore, casting one glance behind him to see if anti was in the mood for a dip in its cold waters.

it was difficult to imagine having found such a stunning place and not being able to consider it a permanent residence. the nimble guardian had only considered the rationality of it once but had whisked the thought away for daydreams far more pleasant. it was a delicate secret that he knew no one would ever have discovered in him – that tendency to favor fantasy over reality. if there were a creature who could ever come close, it was anu.
 
the words that followed were just what anti should have expected of his companion. anu was clever and observant; he knew where it was that they belonged. it was only anti’s duty to follow him and to protect him from any harm that would threaten his fate. so, when anu mentioned that the sea was sharp against the tongue, anti could not help but to turn his sights toward it. his expression softened to one of reverence before he glanced back toward his friend and nodded.
 
the guardian’s dark lips curled ever so slightly into a gentle smile. i am with you, wherever it is that you may lead.

so they were, two souls that walked as one. anti's soft smile was returned, however briefly -- like a star thrown from its empire, the smile briefly stole across anu's face, and then was gone forever.

they walked the length of the beach, chela and volgra; soon their prints were whisked away by the wind, and it was as if no soul had ever passed through at all.